Make an
impact today

Join Artisan to improve the lives of women at Dukunde Kawa Musasa cooperative in Rwanda by donating to the children’s center at Ruli coffee washing station.

How You Can Join Artisan and Support the Children’s Center

  • Children's Mattresses

    Ruth Ann asked Ernest, “What are the items needed the most?” Ernest showed me the room where the toddlers nap and pointed to the mattresses. They get soiled and unhygienic pretty quickly with so many kids who are in their potty-training years! They have plastic covers to help the mattresses last, but even that only helps so long.

    Artisan’s donation: $100 donation that day to the account for the daycare center’s expenses.

    Donate

  • Board Book Donations

    The teachers at the children’s center shared that the children would benefit greatly from more access to books. For these little hands, they prefer the sturdy “board books” that are common here in the USA, but nearly impossible to find in Rwanda. Topics like the alphabet, numbers, and animals would be great. “It’s fine if the words are in English,” says Ernest.

    Artisan’s commitment: We’ll collect up to 50lbs of new and gently used board books. We’ll transport it to the daycare center the next time Artisan goes to Rwanda.

    Email Us

  • Construction Grants

    Would you like to offer financial support? Artisan is also collecting monetary donations to support the construction of the new nursery school + meeting room building behind the existing school.

    On the first floor, we can see the classrooms taking shape for “older” children, ages 3-4. The second floor will be a large meeting room to facilitate the cooperative’s meetings and events, which currently take place outside.

    Donate
3% Cover the Fee

Why give?

  • ✽

    Make A Difference

    Your donation means a mother in Gakenke can go to work sorting coffee without worrying about where her toddler will spend the day.

  • ✽

    Support A Cause You Love

    If you love great coffee, you can support the women whose hands sort it, starting with the safety and care of their children.

  • ✽

    Be Part of A Solution

    Join the coffee community that helped open the ECD in 2025 and help it grow to serve even more families.

  • ✽

    Create Lasting Impact

    From board books to mattresses to a brand-new nursery building, your gift becomes something children use every single day.

  • ✽

    Fund Grassroots Work

    This center started with one member's idea and an empty building. Your support keeps that same hands-on spirit alive.

  • ✽

    Inspire Others

    Fifty children are laughing and learning today because people like you said yes. Share their story, and inspire someone else to do the same.

More on the Dukunde Kawa Women’s Daycare

The Musasa Early Childhood Development Centre, known locally as the “ECD,” opened in 2025 with support from the Australian coffee community. It’s located right on the campus of the Dukunde Kawa Musasa cooperative.

Ernest Nshimyimana, the cooperative’s Managing Director, shares the story of how the ECD started in 2024. “There was an old, run-down house in this location. No one was using it. I remember one of our members asked me, why don’t we use that building to make a place for the children of the women who work here?” Ernest shares that he thought it was a good idea, but at that time he could never have imagined that two years later, in June 2026, he would be showing me the scenes he was showing me.

In the remote hills of Rwanda’s Gakenke district, women who are the primary source of casual labor for sorting green coffee during the coffee season face a double burden. With no safe place for their babies and toddlers, they’re torn between a paycheck and a child’s well-being.

Now that has changed! We see finished buildings with brightly painted walls, playgrounds, a kitchen, child-sized toilets, and a staff office. There are five dedicated teachers/teacher assistants and, the most joyous of all, 50 children ages 1 yr 9mos to 3 yrs old laughing, playing, and smiling.

Their parents start bringing them at 7:30 am, and the last pick-up time is 5 pm.

A typical day at the ECD:

8am: porridge and bread while watching cartoons

9:30am: learning

10am: fruit snack

10:30am: playing

11:30am: lunch

12:00 noon - 1pm: nap time

4pm: milk and sweets

In its first year, 2025 - 2026, more than 92 children have benefited from the center.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Unfortunately, no. Artisan is a for-profit business and is not able to make this a tax deductible donation.

  • When you use the donation button above, funds are deposited into one of Artisan’s separate savings accounts. This account is used only for “ECD donations”. On Ruth Ann’s next trip to Rwanda, she’ll withdraw 100% of the funds and bring the books and the donation to the ECD.

  • The staff at the ECD in this mountain village would love to have volunteers visit and lend a hand! However, this is only feasible if you are familiar with living in Rwanda and have your own transportation and accommodations.

  • We can only accept up to 50 lbs of board books as in-kind donations. We’ll make it clear on this web page after we’ve reached our goal of 50 lbs or enough to fill a 10 gallon bin.

  • Great Idea. If you’d like to make a donation in memory of someone, we’ll add the person’s name to a “Tributes” space on this web page.

  • You can reach us at info@biz.artisancoffeeimports.com